Prelude to the Shadows
by NeoVaihlo
Summary: First off: this is a leading up to story for ones i will later write. you will not see Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi, or any of them. Only Anko two others will be familiar. The others will be in the next story.
1. Introductions are an Order

Prelude to the Shadows

Chapter 1: Introductions are an Order

"What gave you the right to do this?"

The question was barely heard over the howling winds of the storm. Black clouds billowed and swirled in the air, lightning jumping through them, a dull light from the sun was barely visible in the center of it all. On the ground, the tall grass danced and swayed violently around the knees of Kenshi Mitarashi. The thirteen year old boy was the only figure out in the storm, except for the one responsible for the catastrophe, who turned to face Kenshi at the sound of the question.

"What gave me the right to do this?" he asked, a slight hiss accented in his voice, like a snake. "The right was given to me years ago, at my birth. The right that your village hid from me for all these years!"

Kenshi felt the sweat trickle down his face, his fear steadily rising as he sensed his opponent's chakra continually grow stronger.

With the storm raging around them, Kenshi knew that he had to fight this enemy and win, even at the price of his best friend's life.

_Two weeks earlier…_

Kenshi and his friends were racing around Diahoha (Village Hidden in the Shadows), trying to see who would be the last to get caught by the Hokage and the village Jounin. Kenshi and his two friends Sai and Raviel were now the only ones left, and the Jounin were gaining ground on them fast.

"Split up!" Kenshi shouted as he leapt into the trees, Sai running up onto the roof of the nearest house, and Raviel leaping into the trees opposite Kenshi.

Sai didn't even take two more steps before he ran headlong into two Jounin, who quickly pinned him down and rubbed red paint on his face, indicating that he was caught. "Aw fudge." Sai sighed as he was released and sat up, feeling the adrenaline calm.

Kenshi leapt from one tree branch to the next, slicing stray branches in his path with a kunai and making use of the falling branches to change his course back towards the village. The Jounin would think he was still heading away with the branches falling to the ground. The second he re-entered Diahoha he saw the Hokage fly towards him with a speed that made Kenshi feel like he was moving in slow motion. He felt the Hokage streak the paint on his face and knew he was done, but smiled knowing that he had done well.

That evening, every Genin was found at the Hokage's home, cleaning his floor, repairing his furniture, and wiping the paint off the outside walls (why else do you think they were being chased?). The only one missing was Raviel, who everyone knew was hiding out in the forest, waiting until they were done working before returning.

"That lazy Raviel," Sai said to Kenshi as the two of them wiped the words _The Hokage has Butt Implants_ from the wall. Kenshi nodded in agreement, knowing that Raviel was probably watching them from not to far away. When Raviel didn't want to be found, no one could find him.

Kenshi leaned over to Sai, smiling. "When he returns, we will make him pay…in Ramen." The two laughed and continued their work knowing that Raviel would be good for the soup.

_The next day…_

Raviel, it turned out, had been hiding on the Hokage's roof the entire time while the others had been working. Sai had thrown a tantrum due to his anger, but Kenshi was impressed that Raviel had managed it.

"It just shows that working hard in class pays off." Kenshi said as the three of them walked down to a restaurant for lunch. Kenshi sighed as looked up at the sky as they walked.

"Yeah, but I wish there was a faster way to become a Chunin, then I could do what I want to." Kenshi smiled at these words. Raviel had lived with his mother for years till she died, and he had never met his father. Kenshi himself lived with his older sister, Anko. Originally, she had lived in Konoha (Village Hidden in the Leaves) and had trained under a great ninja there, but had decided to move back to Diahoha to raise him. Kenshi knew that Raviel's goal was to find his father, and wanted to go as soon as he could.

"Hey Raviel, you're paying, remember?" Sai said as they arrived at a restaurant known for its ramen.

Out in the forest, two ninja looked in at the peaceful village. The one had long black hair, dark marks around his eyes, and wore a tan colored top with skin tight black pants. The other had silver hair, glasses, and a black t-shirt with blue shorts. Both wore headbands with a quarter note staff, a sign that they were from the Hidden Sound Village.

"So, he lives here?" the one with glasses asked the other as he kneeled on a branch looking at the village.

"Yes, he is here. And my sources tell me Anko is here as well." The other replied, a tone of evil intent in his voice. The first looked up at him, excited.

"So, what are your orders?" he asked. The other stood up.

"Find him and destroy the village."

ok. this is chapter 1 at an end. i hope you all like i, please review.


	2. Evil has Offspring

Chapter 2: Evil has Offspring

"Has anyone seen Raviel today?" Kenshi asked as he ran into the classroom, hoping that his friend had arrived before him. Everyone shook their heads and returned to studying for their graduation exam. If they passed they would be official Genin and would be given headbands to verify that they were true ninja. Kenshi sighed and collapsed into a desk just as the examiner entered.

"Alright kids, lets get this done." Kenshi sat bolt up. Anko was their examiner! He smiled in triumph, and his sister noticed.

"Don't get excited, Kenshi," she said, looking straight at him. "I will be very hard on you, so don't even think of slacking off." Kenshi fell out of his chair with a loud crash.

After twenty minutes, Kenshi was the last one to be examined. He walked into the test room and faced his sister and the other examiner, and older guy with brown hair and a beard. Anko looked at Kenshi with a bored expression.

"Alright, lil'bro," she said, "to pass, let's see you perform a simple Clone Jutsu." Kenshi knew that his sister would have him do it, as it was his weakest jutsu. Still, he placed his hands together and focused his chakra, felt it swirl around him, then cried out, **_"Clone_** **_Jutsu!"_** There was a blast of smoke, and when it settled, Kenshi saw himself looking at three copies of himself, exact replicas.

"Alright, Kenshi. You pass." Anko said with a smile, looking at her brother in an almost motherly way.

Kenshi left the room and ran to Raviel's home, ready to brag about his new headband, which he had tied around his shoulder. He knocked on Raviel's door, and was shocked as it swung open. Inside was never clean, but today there was dust all over the place, the table turned over, the chairs shattered, and in the center of the floor sat Raviel, his back turned to Kenshi as he approached him.

"Hey, you feeling ok Raviel?" Kenshi asked, feeling worried at the state the single room house was in. Raviel turned his head, and Kenshi froze. Raviel's eyes had a mad gleam in them, and he was smiling in a very frightening way, almost demonic-like.

"He came back." Raviel said, and tears swam in his eyes as he looked over Kenshi's shoulder, who whipped around and saw a man walk in the door. The man's long black hair swung behind him, and Raviel got to his feet and ran to the man, embracing him in a hug, which the man returned. Kenshi, however, felt unnerved by the man.

"Not to rude, but who are you?" he asked, his hand slowly reaching for a kunai. The man looked at him, and Kenshi froze.

"My name is Orochimaru, and I am Raviel's father."

who saw that coming? even i didn't til i wrote it, and i had to re-read it several times. lol XD anyways, please review.


	3. Serpent of Evil

Chapter 3: Serpent of Evil

Kenshi took several steps back, almost tripping over one of the destroyed chairs. Orochimaru watched him, smiling like a predator that had cornered its prey.

"Raviel," he finally said, turning his son to face Kenshi. "Kill him." No sooner did the sentence end then Raviel drew a knife and rushed towards Kenshi, a deadly look in his eyes. Kenshi reacted by leaping over him and rolling out the door.

Outside, Kenshi thought he might throw up. As far as his eyes could see, every villager had been killed. Their bodies lay on the dirt road, slumped against walls and hanging over benches and through windows. Leaning against a house which had blood stained all over the doorway was a boy, no older then Kenshi. He had silver hair tied back in a ponytail and reached past his shoulders, a purple shirt, elbow length gloves and round glasses on his face. In each hand he held a blood stained kunai, and a smile on his face that made Kenshi's blood chill.

"Why? Why did you kill them all!" he shouted at the boy, who laughed and pushed off the wall and made his way towards Kenshi.

"Why? Cause it was fun." Kenshi felt a surge of anger and started to attack the boy when a foot struck the side of his head. He flew into the wall opposite Raviel's house and slumped down, out cold.

Raviel and his father then walked past Kenshi's unconscious form as they headed to the center of the village with the other boy following.

After several minutes, Kenshi opened his eyes and sat up, eyes closed, his head throbbing. He then inhaled, and tasted smoke. His eyes snapped open and all around him he saw the village engulfed in flames. He jumped to his feet and ran back to his home, praying that Anko was all right.

Outside his house, he heard yells coming from inside. Kenshi ran inside and saw Anko fighting the silver haired boy, both being watched by Orochimaru and Raviel.

"Sister!" Kenshi yelled as he drew a knife and lunged at the boy, who leapt back and landed next to the others. Anko looked at Kenshi with fearful eyes.

"Kenshi, run, now!" she shouted as she leveled her own knife, readying herself for the next attack. Kenshi leveled his own knife.

"No, I won't run. I'll kill this man instead!" he shouted as he rushed towards Orochimaru, who stood there, an amused expression on his pale face. As Kenshi slashed at Orochimaru, he grabbed his arm and pulled him close in a headlock. Kenshi dropped his knife in shock as he dangled above the floor, his opponent's arm around his throat.

"No! Let him go!" Anko screamed as she watched her brother's defeat from the other side of the room.

Orochimaru looked over at Anko with a satisfied smirk on his face. He then opened his mouth, revealing snake like fangs, and leaned down to bite Kenshi's neck. At that moment, Kenshi's left arm flew into his mouth.


	4. The Curse Mark

Chapter 4: The Curse Mark

"Grrraaahhhh!" Kenshi shouted as the fangs sunk into his arm and he felt the warm flow of charka enter his bloodstream.

"No! Kenshi!" Anko screamed as she collapsed to her knees, feeling defeat.

Orochimaru released Kenshi's arm and dropped him to the floor. Upon landing, Kenshi rolled away, holding his arm, which was now burning like it was on fire. As he looked at it, a black mark was appearing on the back of his left hand. It looked like three large commas forming a small wheel, round sections close to each other and the curves all pointing in a circular pattern.

"What…what is this!" Kenshi asked as he backed away, staring at the mark like it was a disease. Anko stared at the mark, then reached up and touched the left side of the back of her neck. Kenshi tore his gaze from his arm to his sister and saw, below her fingers was the same mark that was on his hand. Then it dawned on him; trained under a great ninja, came home due to an illness, Anko had trained under Orochimaru!

"Anko…why?" he asked as he stared at her in shock. But Anko was in her own world, not seeing or hearing anything in the room. Kenshi looked up to the three exiting the house. At the doorway, the silver haired boy turned and performed a quick series of hand signs.

"**_Fireball Jutsu!"_** he shouted as he blew air onto the middle and index fingers of his right hand. Fire shot from his fingertips and the room was swallowed up in the flames. Smiling, the boy turned and left, leaving Kenshi to drag his sister out the back door and into the street.

Kenshi lay his sister down on the dirt road and sat down, panting. Looking down at Anko, he saw that she had passed out. She looked quite peaceful as she rested, and as Kenshi watched her, he felt his twitch. Looking down at it, he saw that the mark had spread. Black splotch like marks were slowly appearing along his forearm and around his hand. As the marks spread, his entire body burned, like there fire inside him. Suddenly a loud crack of thunder ripped the peace out of the dusk. Looking out to the fields, Kenshi saw black clouds gathering and swirling, drawn by a powerful force. He got to his feet and set off, having unfinished business to attend to.

Raviel stood in the center of the field, his chakra controlling the storm above him, his father and the other boy having left, saying that they would meet in the Hidden Sound Village after he had finished the destruction of the Hidden Shadow Village. As he prepared to drop the power of the storm onto the village, Kenshi came running out of the trees behind him.

"What gave you the right to do this?"

Kenshi's question was barely heard over the howling winds of the storm, the black clouds billowing and swirling overhead, lightning jumping between them, a dull light from the moon was barely visible in the center of it all. On the ground, the tall grass danced and swayed violently around Kenshi's knees. He faced Raviel with two feelings, one to save his village, and the second to save his friend. Raviel turned to face him, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"What gave me the right to do this?" he asked, a slight hiss accented in his voice, like a snake. "The right was given to me years ago, at my birth. The right that your village hid from me for all these years!"

Kenshi felt himself falter, then realized that Raviel had changed, and would never be the same. He drew a knife and raised it.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you destroy the village."

Raviel looked at him, then smiled.

"Then try and save it!" he shouted as he sent several lightning bolts into the village, and Kenshi attacked. He threw his knife at Raviel, who ducked under it and ran at him. The two met and started an exchange of martial arts techniques, each taking and giving damage. Raviel then pushed Kenshi away and executed a few hand signs.

"**_Mist Clone Jutsu!"_** several dozen copies of himself filled the field, and Kenshi was left with finding the real one. Kenshi leapt into the air and performed a hand sign of his own. Raising his right hand to his mouth in an 'ok' hand sign, he struck.

"**_Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"_** he shouted, blowing air through the hole in his fingers and shooting dozens of fire balls down at them. As he watched, one finally was hit and flew away from the others. Kenshi landed in a crouch and gathered chakra into his left hand. As he did, the mark continued to spread up his arm, intensifying his charka.

"Sorry, old friend." He said, the chakra in his hand now becoming a list full of lightning. He ran at Raviel, who looked up as Kenshi's attack struck.

"**_Chidori: Lightning Fist!"_** the attack didn't even need to touch. The power of it killed Raviel while the attack was still several inches from his body.

Kenshi turned and faced the village. It was gone, engulfed in flames and billowing smoke. Kenshi sat down, feeling lost, when a hand touched his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Anko, smiling slightly, yet looking thoroughly exhausted.

"You did your best, little brother." She said, pulling him to his feet. "Come on, let's go to Konoha." She started on ahead, and Kenshi followed a few feet behind, staring at his left hand, at the mark. It had stopped spreading just past his elbow. He closed his hand into a fist, and looked back at the village.

"_Orochimaru,"_ he thought,_ "I will make you pay for this."_

The fire flashed and danced in his eyes for a moment longer, then he turned, no longer looking back and ready to face ahead.


End file.
